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What to Do When You Feel Stuck

Have you ever felt completely stuck? I am the oldest of three boys. When we were younger, we lived on 45 acre campground. The camp housed 7 horses on the property (some of which seemed wild at times).

One Fall season when I was about 10 years old, my brothers and I decided to venture over the fence to get a closer look at the horses. They were just on the horizon so we strategized on how we could get them to come closer.

Not having any grain to shake in the bucket (which usually worked), we decided to shake some rocks in the bucket instead.

Sure enough, all 7 horses came galloping our way.

When they were about 50 yards away, I began to realize they were not slowing down. I yelled, “run!” I jumped over the fence and made it to safety.

Only one problem… my youngest brother was stuck in the mud. The deep grooves from the horses and all of the rain caused his little shoes to stick deep in the mud.

I quickly jumped back over the fence and pulled him right out of his shoes… just in time.

Have you ever felt stuck? Have you ever felt hopeless? Life has its way of piling up on us. Whether it’s problems with finances, school, work, or relationships, we often see no way out. We feel helpless hoping someone will somehow just pull us out.

While Superman may not be answering your call anytime soon, here are 4 simple steps you can take when you feel stuck.

1. Realize you are never really stuck

While you may feel like it, you are never really stuck. There are always options. While we may not like any of the options laying out in front of us, we always have a choice.

I believe the moment you think you are completely stuck is the moment creativity vanishes. Always believe there are choices.

2. Open your eyes to reality

Sometimes we are where we are today because of the poor choices we have made. Maybe you feel stuck because you refuse to look at the reality of your situation. Maybe it is too painful to look at where you really are financially so you’d rather close your eyes and keep going.

To get unstuck, you need to have the courage to look at the reality of your situation. Be brave. You will feel much better.

3. Create a personal policy that sets you in a new direction

I want to share with you a simple exercise that can pull you in a better direction. It’s called creating personal policies. Companies have them so why not us?

Create a new, personal policy that reflects the values and choices you want in your life. Here is a few of mine:

We will always be completely honest with ourselves in making financial decisions

We value experiences over possessions

My business will never get in the way of my family

I will have a business that works for me instead of me becoming a slave to it.

4. Focus only on the next step

The gap between where you are and where you want to be in life will discourage you if you’re not careful. Instead, just focus on the next step.

“What is one wise choice you can make today to head in a better direction?” [Tweet that]

Question: What do you do when you feel stuck? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Jonathan has been blogging since 2009 and is still in awe that the Creator of the Universe desires to have a relationship with him. His passions include spending time with his kids, reading, March Madness, surprise get-a-way trips with his wife, and watching funny YouTube videos.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

8 thoughts on “What to Do When You Feel Stuck”

Be humble and in tune enough with yourself to know what you need and when you need it. Be faithful to that.

Is your bad job really not so bad, but simply bad for you because you’re an introvert working in a role more suited for an extrovert? Vice versa? Maybe it’s a skill-set issue. Know that just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you should. You’re not stuck, you need to redefine.

Is your bad auto loan on a lemon really all the banks fault or didn’t you read/do some research first? Just like fast food, know that just because something is easy doesn’t make it good for you. You’re not really stuck, you just won’t give in to the idea of YOU being wrong.

More personally, I’ve been looking long and hard for a job. I’ve applied and typed until I think this keyboard hates me (starting to skip letters!); set up a resume blog site, participate here in groups and on articles, network IRL, tweet till I think I’m hearing birds in my sleep… That is stuck, right? Nah. My rational mind says it is, but Spirit (my faith) says ‘there’s something I need you to learn right now, so sit tight and keep working/pushing ahead & it will be revealed in time. Your needs will be met.’ So I’m not really stuck, I just need to learn whatever it is so I can keep the lights on *lol*

Point is, I don’t think there is any such thing as stuck – I’ll instead call them Pauses. Each one serves to gently chastise, tumbled-stone polish or like the blacksmith, put us IN a fire to burn away the impurities (self-imposed impediments) that keep us from being our best selves.

#1 is key to me. Feeling stuck is just a feeling! Yet, as many times as I help others become unstuck – I find I too get stuck. I have to just let go and go with the flow for a while to get some relief. Once I do that my brain starts working again and I can think of options.

When I feel stuck,, I try to tackle those things over which I still have control and not focus on what isn’t working out. To use your analogy, I guess it’s like pulling your little brother out of the mud, but leaving his shoes behind. If you had put all your effort into the shoes, he would have been hurt.